Automatic faucet



Sept. 27, 1955 A. FUNGAROLI AUTOMATIC FAUCET Filed Feb. 2, 1953 INVENTGOZ' United States Patent AUTOMATIC FAUCET Anthony Fungaroli, Northampton, Mass.

Application February 2, 1953, Serial'No. 334,540

1 Claim. (Cl. 249-58) This invention relates to valves and is directed more particularly to weight controlled dispensing attachments therefor.

The principal object of the invention is directed to the provision of an automatic faucet for dispensing liquid which is characterized by means having dependence on the weight of the liquid dispensed for automatically closing the valve.

That is, the valve may be associated with a supply tank and a vessel may be filled from the valve connected to the supply tank and the weight of the filled vessel will bring about the closing of the valve.

All of the above objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangements of parts thereof, as will fully appear by a perusal of the description below and by various specific features which will be hereinafter set forth.

To the above cited and other ends and with the foregoing and various other novel features and advantages and other objects of my invention as will become more readily apparent as the description proceeds, my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and in the combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more particularly pointed out in the claim hereunto annexed and more fully described and referred to in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. l is a side elevational view of valve apparatus shown in association with a supply tank and a vessel to be filled through the valve; and

Fig. 2 is a partial front elevational view of the operating lever of the valve shown in Fig. 1.

Referring now to the drawings more in detail, the invention will be fully described.

The valve 2 of the invention includes a hollow body 4 having an inlet 6 for securement to a supply tank 8 and an outlet spout 10.

A valve disc 12 is urged against a seat 14 by spring by inward movement of the stem 18 as pressure is applied i thereto. When the stem is released, the valve automatically closes.

An operating lever 20 is pivoted at 22 to the body and as it is swung counterclockwise it acts on the stem 18 to open the valve.

A rocker 24 is pivoted to the body at 26 and has an inner end 28 freely surrounding a threaded adjusting stud 30 which is fixed to and extends upwardly from the body.

Washers 32 on the stud 30 have a compression spring 34 therebetween which surrounds the stud 30. An adjusting nut 36 threaded on the stud 30 is provided for tensioning the spring so that it offers the desired resistance to clockwise movement of the rocker 24.

The outer end 24' of the rocker extends through an opening or slot 20 in the lever 20. A notch 40 is provided on the upper side of the end 24' of the rocker for 7 2,719,019 Patented Sept. 27, 1 955 engagement with the upper side 42 of the slot 20 of the lever 20.

A stop shoulder 42' is provided on the said outer end 24' of the rocker as is a notch 44.

A vessel is represented by 46 which is to be filled from the supply tank 8 through the valve. Said vessel has a bail 48 by which it is supported and said bail may be disposed in the notch 44 of the rocker.

With the vessel supported on the outer end of the rocker, the lever 20 is swung counterclockwise from the dash position to the full line position shown until the upper end .42 of the slot 20 of the lever passes by the notch 40 of the rocker. The rocker is biased clockwise by spring 34 so that the lever 20 is releasably held against swinging clockwise by the notch 40. Thereby the lever 20 is releasably held in valve open position.

Swinging of the lever 20 counterclockwise moves the valve disc from off its seat whereby liquid flows from the tank 8 through the valve to the vessel 46.

The spring 34 resists clockwise swinging of rocker 24 but said spring is adjusted by nut 36 so that it will yield on a predetermined weight of the vessel and its contents. That is, a certain quantity of liquid in the vessel will cause the spring to yield according to the adjustment thereof. As the spring yields, the rocker swings clockwise so that the lever 20 is released by the notch 40 thereof. As the lever 20 is released, it is swung clockwise by action of spring 16 and stem 18 until the outer side of said lever brings up against stop shoulder 42' of the rocker 24 and obviously as the lever 20 swings clockwise from the full line position shown the valve is closed.

The lever 20 is swung counterclockwise manually to valve open position and it may be held by hand in the valve open position.

To prevent the lever 20 being swung counterclockwise to releasably locked valve open position, a U-shaped member 50 is provided which is pivoted to pivot 26. This is arranged for swinging clockwise so that its end 52 overlies the upper side of end 24 of the rocker adjacent notch 40 thereof. This prevents lever 20 from swinging counterclockwise so that it is releasably engaged by notch 40 and in open position of the valve disc 12.

That is, by moving member 50 into its forward position shown in dash lines in Fig. 1, it lies adjacent notch 40, but the faucet can nonetheless be manually operated by the movement of the lever 20 to the valve open position where, as aforesaid, it may be held while the liquid is discharged through the spout 10.

To lock the valve in closed position, the member 24 is provided with an opening 54 which is disposed so as to be rearwardly of lever 20 in closed position of the valve. The shank of a padlock or the like may extend through this opening 54 which will prevent counterclockwise swinging of member 20 from closed position of the valve. If desired, member 20 may be provided with an opening 56 which may be used in conjunction with the opening 54 for locking the lever 20 against swinging from valve closed position.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the essential characteristics thereof. Hence, the present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects merely as being illustrative and not as being restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claim rather than by the foregoing description, and all modifications and variations as fall within the meaning and purview and range of equivalency of the appended claim are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What it is desired to claim and secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

Liquid dispensing automatic faucet for a liquid supply container comprising in combination, a valve body having an inlet for securing to a supply container and an outlet, a valve disc reciprocable in said body between closed position over said outlet and an open position away from said outlet and having a stem integral therewith extending outwardly of said body, spring means normally urging said disc to closed position, an operating lever pivotally connected to said body for swinging between a closed position of said disc and an open position thereof arranged to engage and actuate said stem in swinging to said open position of the disc, a rocker pivotally connected to said body swingably between lever locking and releasing position and having an outer free end for supporting a container to be filled, means biasing said rocker to lever locking position, releasable-engageable means carried by said lever and rocker including a notch provided on the upper side of said rocker and a slot'provided in said lever through which said rocker extends and having an upper edge engageablein the notch of said rocker whereby said lever is releasably held by said rocker in open position of said disc, and a member pivotally connected to the pivotal connection of said rocker and body swingable between an inoperative position and an operative position wherein an outer end portion thereof prevents engagement of said releasable-engageable means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 635,256 Kennelly Oct. 17, 1899 733,290 Simon July 7, 1903 1,155,984 Wray Oct. 5, 1915 2,200,602 Harriman May 14, 1940 2,278,655 James Apr. 7, 1942 2,594,146 Fowler Apr. 22, 1952 2,608,371 McMahon et al Aug. 26, 1952 2,610,019 Beall Sept. 9, 1952 2,647,719 Coates Aug. 4, 1953 

